In Flowers of Evil by N.L. Holmes, a new generation steps up to face the dangers and intrigue of murder in Ancient Egypt.
The people of Egypt are bustling despite the heat, businesses are thriving, devotion is a way of life, and families are at the pulsing heart of society. Not all is happiness, however. The city hides deceit, malice, and ambition in the shadows. Here, a lethal hand wields a sharp knife. Desperate to save her bleeding patient, Lord Hani’s daughter applies all her medical knowledge. But evil wins and Neferet watches her innocent patient ‘pass to the West’.
She cannot let such a ruthless murder rest until she finds out who did it.
Neferet has seen her father face the dangers of investigation in the past, but she’s determined to follow through for the chief florist of the Hidden One’s temple and to solve the mystery that turned his flowers of beauty into Flowers of Evil. Is she prepared to face the perils ahead?
Lord Hani’s family is a vibrant clan, and his daughter has never shied away from a challenge. Despite the biases and societal rules of ancient Egypt, she has studied healing and medicine in the pursuit of helping people, especially children.
The studies were challenging enough, but after opening the doors of her practice she’s seen few patients seek her services. Neferet confides sadly to her fellow healer and partner, Bener-ib, that patients do not come to them because they do not trust two young women with their health. They vow to change people’s minds. An early-morning patient defies this bias because of desperation, bringing the suffering florist to the women’s doorstep, bleeding vociferously. There is no question this man has been murdered.
Neferet’s father is concerned about his daughter’s involvement in a murder investigation. He worries not only about the violence of a killer, but about the malice of a rival healer, and a potential confrontation with his own sworn enemy – the former chief of police, Mahu. But father and daughter are much alike, and despite Hani’s misgivings, Neferet continues on her investigation, with help from Bener-ib and their medical assistant, a youth who exhibits remarkable detective skills. When the mystery takes a diabolical turn, will Neferet muster the courage to nip the killer in the bud?
Author Holmes creates a compelling historical mystery, full of detail and curiosity.
Flowers of Evil immerses readers deeply into the historical world of Ancient Egypt. Visual descriptions give a colorful perspective in the midst of the culture and community, of the time. This story is a vivid visit to a place long since gone to the sands of history. N.L. Holmes proves herself both a professional archaeologist and an extraordinary storyteller.
This is the first book in the Hani’s Daughter Mysteries, and warmly welcomes readers back to the world and characters of the much-loved Lord Hani Mysteries series. Neferet takes the helm with an exciting and treacherous tale.
In The December Issue by J. Shep, a veteran columnist stands up for his controversial work, despite intense public pressure to disavow it.
Paul, a retiring columnist, has earned vast applause for his amusing, playful, and inspiring monthly column in The Current Front. However, this renown flips on its head after the November Issue’s release, when masses of readers give a hostile retort to his article. His sentiment regarding ‘loss of class’ in American society angered both older and younger readers, as proved by the huge pile of mail on his desk.
The firm’s management can’t help but notice the trouble their most reliable writer has caused.
Dolefully, Paul finds himself pressed to put out a public apology and rewrite the December issue, which he had earlier submitted. But in an unlikely turn, sales of the contentious November publication begin to soar. This sudden success, ensuing shortly after news of Paul suffering a horrifying accident hit the airwaves, sends him into a state of wonder and astonishment.
The December Issue warms up the soul from its first chapter to the last.
Paul’s engaging arc pays homage to a thriving career in journalism, revealing its benefits and drawbacks. His distinctive point of view forms the backbone of the story, which relates to the modern writing of op-ed pieces with ingenuity.
Worthwhile conversations, clarity of thought, defined points of view, and unique characters, all contribute to the stellar whole of this book. Author J. Shep writes with colorful, fast-moving, and provocative style, which evokes fascinating ideas in the reader’s mind.
As Milton Glaser famously said, “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and wow!” The December Issue insists that one should always aim for ‘wow.’
This story will inspire, particularly those readers in the featured vocation of journalism. A worthy read that illustrates how one can recognize, support, and develop the diverse talents in their organizations.
All things considered, The December Issue is a splendid work of enormous value and imagination.
Author Anthony C. Delauney and illustrator Chiara Civati bring an element of magic and whimsy to a valuable financial lesson in Michael and Hannah and the Magic Money Tree, the next installment of the Owning the Dash series.
At the start of their spring break, Michael and Hannah are excited to go to the Spring Fair – where they’ve heard there will be a magic money tree! Only a handful of children get to see the tree each day, so Michael and Hannah gather their friends and rush to be the first ones there. Once there, they find the tree with money hanging from its leaves.
They are told they can take the money and buy any of the toys and treats available, or they can pick from a list of tasks to earn money for whatever use they please. Michael and Hannah and all their friends rush for the tree and beginning buying toys and treats, but soon they notice some of their group are upset.
Was the game of the money tree fair? How can they make it fair for everyone? Read Michael and Hannah and the Money Tree to find out!
Delauney once again creates an engaging story to start a conversation about money and fairness to children, along with the beautiful and colorful illustrations of Chiara Civati. Parents and young readers should not miss out on this book – or the whole Owning the Dash series.
Anna Casamento-Arrigo’s A Child’s Love is a heartwarming story that pays tribute to the loving relationship between a mother and her daughter.
This circle-of-life tale begins with a mother caring for her infant. The poetic storyline unfolds into a role reversal of caregiving from one generation to the next.
As the decades pass, the reader sees the child nurtured gracefully into adulthood and eventually become a parent herself. As time takes its toll, the now-grown daughter and grandchild become caretakers for the aging mother. From lullabies and games of peek-a-boo to walkers, wheelchairs, and visits to the hospital, the love and care the mother once showed to her daughter is now reflected in the daughter’s equal concern and consideration. With the granddaughter, Casamento-Arrigo introduces a third generation to show the continuation of this cycle of kin.
Alex Martinez’ endearing illustrations help define the genuine love and affection between these family members, and the changing needs within each generation as time passes.
Demonstrated again and again in tender detail, with the large and small footprints in the sand as mother and daughter walk hand-in-hand along the shoreline, in the daughter’s last backward glance at her loving home while heading into the wider world with all her belongings, and with the daughter’s recollection of her mom keeping the scary monsters at bay in the closet. The images are solid, genuine, and artfully crafted.
The narrative is composed of simple rhyming lines, each reflective of the preceding illustration’s activity, and should particularly appeal to younger readers.
While intended as a children’s book, A Child’s Love is a beautiful story to be shared by parents, grandparents, and children of all ages. The lasting sentiment is clearly one of love and compassion for those we care about within the familiar bonds between generations.
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Not necessarily! Our webmaster works strange hours. If you don’t see the deadline updated on our website for 2024, the division is still open and you can still make it. If it has changed, please reach out to info@ChantiReviews.com and we may be able to sneak you in, but the good news is…
The webmaster emerges to update the Awards date! Run!
We are accepting entries into the 2024 Chanticleer International Book Awards Program.
The winners of the 2023 CIBAs will be announced on April 20, 2024.
The winners of the 2024 CIBAs will be announced in April 2025.
As always, a big thank you to all our readers, judges, staff, and the authors who make the CIBAs possible! The Book Awards are a labor of love, and we are so grateful every day to be able to Discover Today’s Best Books!
Jennifer entered Mr. Hostler’s home, finding herself in an empty white room.
“Where’s your furniture?” she asked.
Mr. Hostler cocked a brow. “You don’t need chairs to talk, Ms. Trent.”
White Room Syndrome is an ominous name for a common problem in prose writing: the characters are acting, talking, and moving the story forward, but all in a scene that hasn’t been set through description. They’re in an empty white void. Despite the name, a literal white room is not required.
Chances are good you’ve seen White Room Syndrome at some point in your own writing, where an old friend’s attic, the car of a speeding train, or even the great outdoors aren’t described to the reader beyond those broad descriptions.
So, how do you paint a scene? Well, you can’t include every single detail about the locations your characters go to, not without sacrificing any hope of good pacing – or readers finishing your book. So, I’m going to go over five critical lenses you can use to figure out which aspects of a setting are most valuable to the story: The lenses of clarity, character, tone, imagination, and pacing.
First, the lens of clarity; you must construct the world to seem cohesive.
“Then where am I supposed to put this?” Jennifer demanded, shaking her sodden umbrella.
Mr. Hostler took it from her. “First, you ought to close it. You certainly don’t need any more bad luck. And, where else would it go?” He set it carefully in the umbrella stand.
“Hey! Where did that come from–”
“Why, it’s always been there. We live in a rainy city after all,” Mr. Hostler said.
Oh that’s where I left that!
Without a scene set in your reader’s mind, the actions of your characters will be harder to imagine, and immersion will suffer. Description bears much of the responsibility for maintaining continuity in your story, both at a small scale and a large one.
Focus on the specifics of your setting.
If your story is set in a desert town, then perhaps a room is filled with the hum of air conditioning, while sunlight bathes everything near the windows.
These small details will become part of your readers’ gestalt image of this town and its environment. So, rather than having a character comment on the heat of their city, you can simply let the dry stretch of sand, pitcher of ice water on the table, or faint smell of sweat comment on it instead. What an average person’s house looks, sounds, and smells like can tell you a lot about a town, from weather to economics to culture.
Building the world, piece by piece
On the smaller scale, try to describe important details for the actions of the coming scene.
If someone is going to lunge across their desk, then take a moment to describe that desk as the scene opens on the room around it. What’s going to fall and clatter to the floor? If one of your characters is worn down after a long day of work, about to have an argument with their inconsiderate partner, you might describe the car in the driveway that one of them will later angrily drive off in. Remember the principle of setup and payoff: willing suspension of disbelief thrives when important details are established before they come into action.
Not all details should be practical building blocks for the beats of a scene. As much as they can reveal the world itself, so can they reveal the people within it.
Consider next the lens of character
A description of a woman with butterflies in her stomach, of possibility in a beautiful world:
Pink crocuses beckon to the first rays of sunlight, eager on the riverbank. Marie’s fingers explored the spirals and stripes of the railing. To where did they all lead? On the far end of the bridge, a wooden board creaked faintly beneath Rona’s familiar blue boots as she stopped a few feet away. She seemed to belong on the bridge’s rising arch. Cool, piney air filled Marie’s chest.
You could fall in love here
A description of a woman who’s probably going to go missing in about two pages:
Dark green roots slithered out from the riverbank, disappearing beneath murk and silt. Marie’s every step was interrogated by the stark light of dawn. She traced the spirals of the wooden railing, but her fingers never quite escaped the splintery prodding of their coils. A sharp whine cut through the air, and Marie’s eyes darted up to find Rona, standing not but a few feet from her. Those heavy boots, sagging jacket, and long, flat hair all seemed to whisper that only a few old planks separated Marie from the sinking grip of the river.
Not a place to go walking alone
Because of the tone set by these descriptions, the conversation between these characters will have a strong foundation, with words that would otherwise mean very little now being heavy with implication (for better or for worse). Choose those details which tighten tension and keep your readers excited to see how this scene plays out.
This is a great time to employ sensory description beyond sight and sound. Yeasty baking bread, the calloused fingers of mountain wind on exposed skin, a disappointingly-unsweet taste of fresh cherry sap – details like these put your readers into the bodies of your characters, a powerful tool for establishing the emotional shade of a scene.
To spark imagination, use a lens of specificity
Find the balance of trusting your reader and showing them your world.
It’s not just a sunny day – the sun sears white even the empty sky around it. What can you describe in ten words that says a thousand about your setting? What could your character have on their desk that shows the fear seeded deep in their bones? How should the light fall in the old church, to make clear that something is very, very wrong in this town? These evocative details act as foundations, allowing readers to fill in the empty space without even realizing they’re doing it.
Give them enough of a groundwork to understand how a location feels, show them the striking details, but don’t spell out every mundane element of someone’s kitchen.
No hard and fast rules
These lenses aren’t requirements for every scene, especially as you’re drafting (consider this article by Michelle Rene on Write Fast, Edit Slow.) Lenses are useful tools for when you’re editing your work, thinking about what each line of description is supposed to do for your story.
Does it accomplish its goal?
Would something else be stronger in its place?
Could combine two lines into a single, more evocative one?
If you don’t know what color to paint your white room, try these lenses, and see what they can show you about the walls of your story.
Chanticleer Editorial Services – when you are ready
Did you know that Chanticleer offers editorial services?
We do and have been doing so since 2011.
Tools of the Editing Trade
Our professional editors are top-notch and are experts in the Chicago Manual of Style. They have and are working for the top publishing houses (TOR, McMillian, Thomas Mercer, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, etc.).
If you would like more information, we invite you to email Kiffer or Sharon at KBrown@ChantiReviews.com or SAnderson@ChantiReviews.com for more information, testimonials, and fees.
We work with a small number of exclusive clients who want to collaborate with our team of top-editors on an on-going basis.Contact us today!
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Thank you for reading this ENCORE Chanticleer Writer’s Toolbox article.
Scott Taylor – Editorial Assistant
Scott has worked as a book editor since 2020, with a BA in English & Writing from The Evergreen State College.
He facilitates a small writing critique group, and serves as an editor on the biennial anthology The Writer’s Corner. Scott’s book reviews feature on the Chanticleer Book Reviews website. His own writing centers on speculative and surreal fiction, from sci-fi & fantasy to magical realism, and has been published in the HamLit literary journal.
Beyond working on novels and short stories, Scott explores other media and modes of narrative, such as playwriting, tabletop game design, and music composition. He finds moving from one medium to another offers inspiration that feeds back into his prose work.
You have until September 30th to share your Tale of the Unknown with us and enter the 2023 CIBAs!
Chanticleer International Book Awards (the CIBAs) is looking for the best books Paranormal books featuring magic, the supernatural, weird otherworldly stories, superhumans (ex. Jessica Jones, Wonder Woman), magical beings & supernatural entities (ex. Harry Potter), vampires & werewolves (ex. Twilight), angels & demons, fairies & mythological beings, and magical systems.
Let’s celebrate the past winners and visit the Hall of Fame for the Paranormal Awards!
The Devil Pulls The Strings By J.W. Zarek
The protagonist and all-around decent guy, Boone Daniels, is in a heap of hurt in JW Zarek’s new Young Adult novel, The Devil Pulls the Strings.
One would think being plagued by an evil spirit wendigo since age six would be enough inconvenience to last a lifetime, but when Boone jousts with his best bud at a Ren Faire and accidentally deals a mortal blow, the hurt he experiences suddenly lands on a sliding scale of 1 to 1 million. And Boone Daniels becomes a millionaire, so to speak.
The realms of demons and angels clash, as the possibility of romance, plunges the beings of Hell into chaos. Kaylin McFarren’s Soul Seeker follows the otherworldly set as they flee for their lives, uncover millennia-old secrets about one another, and face the possibility of love in a very dangerous world.
But first, the demon, Crighton, wreaks havoc on his human target, a man named Poe, devastating the man and his family. You could say, Crighton’s at home collecting wicked souls for his boss, Lucifer. His villain persona is put into question when he meets the angel, Ariel. At first, Crighton believes the angelic Ariel would make an excellent prize for the prince of darkness, as the demon is well aware that his master adores ruining pretty things. However, when an undeniable attraction emerges between them, they wrestle with each other, pitting strength against strength. Beware any who would do anything to tear these two apart—that would spell certain death.
Katy Novacs is haunted, both by her past and the laughing specter that reminds her of it. When her friends bring her to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the hopes of lifting her spirits, she finds that their inn has a ghost of its own who has a tale that might save her.
Katy comes to the Niagara Inn in a mire of sorrow, fear, and trauma. Though her friends try to help her move forward with her life, to fall in love and open herself up to other people again, Katy’s stay at the inn only seems to drain her further. Both she and her friends question her sanity as she becomes certain that she’s sharing a room with the spirit of a dead woman, but when Abigail eventually reveals herself, it is to tell Katy a story that she needs to hear—that of Abigail’s life.
Award-winning author, Joy Ross Davis’ latest work, The Madwoman of Preacher’s Cove, ventures beyond the paranormal into the surreal. Like Medusa on a bad hair day, the lives of characters are intertwined and twisted in a snaky snarl of conflicting human desires, terrifying inexplicable events, and the lingering afterlives of ancient, supernatural beings.
Davis gifts us with a 21st-century legend, replete with mythological themes and creatures, and snippets of folklore and superstition melded with documented vagaries of weather, obscure herpetology, and creates a mystical potion worthy of Circe. In other words, Davis gives us a thrilling read!
Rumors about suspicious deaths have put Preacher’s Cove, Alabama, a small, historic town notorious for powerful, killer storms, on the map. Hap Murray, Huntsville’s Channel 12 field reporter, with family ties to the Cove, arrives in town on assignment, armed with only limited knowledge of the town’s history of inexplicable deaths. The rumors speculate that the local pastor may be involved.
A fascinating story with well-written characters that will keep the pages turning!
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Paranormal Winners is to submit today!
Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com
You have until September 30th to share your novel with us and enter the 2023 CIBAs!
Suspenseful stories filled with mystery have long held readers captive with their intricate plotting, enigmatic clues, and the tantalizing challenge of solving a puzzle or unraveling a crime. In these tales, protagonists are not just characters; they are the enigmatic detectives, the astute investigators, and the relentless truth-seekers who navigate a labyrinth of secrets, lies, and suspense. It’s a world where protagonists, inspired by the likes of Sherlock Holmes, navigate a web of mysteries, facing danger and moral quandaries with each step. From classic mysteries to contemporary thrillers, this genre captivates readers of all ages, drawing them into a labyrinth of secrets, where the ultimate reward is the satisfaction of solving the puzzle and the exhilaration of the chase.
If you are ready to unveil your next adventure, submit to the Clue Awards!
Lets take a moment to celebrate the Hall of Fame for the Grand Prize Winners of the Clue Awards!
The Vines
By Shelley Nolden
Shelley Nolden’s debut novel, The Vines, embraces multiple genres as it chills, fascinates, and horrifies, from historical and magical realism to fantasy and horror.
Nolden has melded fanaticism, medical anomalies, and the frailties of human behavior together with a historic setting, creating a narrative Kudzu vine that grows rapidly and spares nothing in its path. This particular vine consists of two main branches that intertwine, bridging time and linking parallel realities, one past, one present.
The Gettler men of Long Island, New York have shepherded a secret medical research project for generations, with the exception of Finn, the youngest man in the family.
Detective Rudyard Bloodstone is facing the most bizarre crime spree of his career as a copper on the Victorian streets of London. Someone is using a poisonous Cape cobra as a weapon.
What begins as a simple robbery scheme turns deadly when a wealthy businessman is killed via cobra attack, the crimes go from strange to deadly. Rudyard (Ruddy) and his partner, Archie Holcomb, have few clues and no idea what would cause such a change in the criminal’s behavior.
When the criminal returns to the estate and attacks the victim’s daughter, Ruddy’s suspicions are confirmed.
Famed marine biologist and researcher Claudia Rawlings is presumed dead. When Claudia’s research vessel goes down, her daughter Riley goes on a desperate search to discover what happened, eventually turning to Dagger Eastin, co-owner of Hunters and Seekers a marine salvage business. Dagger soon realize this isn’t a simple search and reclaim mission when someone takes a shot at him during an exploratory dive with Riley.
Former Navy SEALs, Dagger, and his partners Kaleb LaSalle and Stone Garrison are the definitions of relentless, and they quickly become embroiled in the investigation that has caught the attention of some very influential people, all seeking Claudia’s important research. And while Riley learns that her mother has left behind clues to her missing research, the Hunters and Seekers pull out all the stops to help and protect her. The wild scavenger hunt sends Dagger and Riley on a trip to discover the truth, but Russian spies, big oil cronies, and psychopathic hitmen lurk around every corner.
California Son, the second installment in the Liam Sol Mystery series by Timothy Burgess, presents another action-packed mystery for protagonist Liam Sol to solve. Honorably discharged after his tour of duty in Vietnam, Liam returns to his primarily Hispanic neighborhood of Baja La Bolsa, a coastal town near LA, California, where trouble finds him.
In his role as a journalist, Liam takes interest in the daily pleas of a Hispanic mother to find her son’s murderer, pleas that the mostly white La Bolsa Police seem to ignore. After an article he writes in hopes of renewing interest in the case appears in La Bolsa Tribune, the mother is found dead in her apartment. No stranger to death or violence, Liam soon finds himself on the personal side of a hunt for the killer of not only the son but also the mother.
The Review of the most recent winner is forthcoming.
Now that you’re set on your next reads, what are you waiting for? The only way to join this amazing list of Clue Winners is to submit today!
Those who submit and advance will have the chance to win the Overall Grand Prize of the CIBAs and $1000!
Are you a Chanticleer Author who has some good news to share? Let us know! We’re always looking for a reason to crow about Chanticleerians! Reach out with your news to info@ChantiReviews.com
Crossing the Ford by Gail Hertzog opens in classic Western fashion: a train rolls in, carrying a stranger. Twenty-five-year-old Ruby knows, when she sees “that little lady” get off the train, that life in her rural Nevada town will never be the same.
Until this moment, Ruby’s children and her no-good husband have claimed most of her time and energy. But she gets to know Kenna, the red-headed stranger — and finds herself irrevocably changed in the process.
Hertzog weaves a rich tapestry of the post-Civil War West. Her characters inhabit a world that’s lush and bleak by turns, vivid with details of a landscape that shifts with the seasons, from giving to unforgiving. A thread of magical realism creeps in so subtly readers may hardly notice it at first. By the end, though, this book stands as a testament to how mystical and inscrutable the twists and turns of life can be.
The book is punctuated with vintage-style illustrations and even recipes, which tie in nicely with the plot and help readers immerse themselves in the moment in history.
Kenna soon introduces Ruby to new ways of looking at the world: ideals of feminine independence, the joy of luxury, and even using magic to bend life to your will.
Kenna comes from privilege and mystique, with a Scottish Highland heritage steeped in witchcraft – a stark contrast to Ruby’s bleak past. By turns, Ruby finds Kenna intimidating, frustrating, and awe-inspiring. They strike up a close friendship as the seasons turn.
The novel’s intrigue grows from early on, as Ruby and Kenna hold secrets from each other while holding each other dear. And then there’s Valentine: the local man that Kenna captivates, and Ruby desires from afar (and sometimes, from too close). With the addition of Ruby’s wayward, abusive husband, a tense love square emerges, and it’s not always clear what shape the characters’ lives will end up in. Even Valentine has secrets of his own.
As Crossing the Ford progresses, everyone’s secrets start to catch up to them, while every event is tinted with Kenna’s magic and mythology.
The mood sways from joyful to tragic and back again, from sensitive and compelling depictions of the abuse Ruby endures from her husband, to the life she builds in spite of it with Kenna and Valentine’s help.
This story maintains a confessional quality, as Ruby speaks directly to the mysterious character introduced in the prologue, setting up a satisfying reveal at the end. Over time, Ruby goes from passive observer to active anti-heroine, working to determine her own fate (and sometimes others’ too.) Readers get a deep look at the challenges she’s faced in life, so that when she starts making choices that seem brutal, we can understand her reasons. The action slows for a bit in the middle, but it’s a brief pause, carried by a strong sense of place and Ruby’s compelling voice. You can hear her accent in every word, that of a poorly-educated woman in the rural West, set against the fine and proper language of her best friend Kenna.
Crossing the Ford makes deft use of moral gray areas, as those areas seem to grow bigger with each page.
At first, the narrative raises questions about good motherhood and marital loyalty, but later, ponders questions of life and death. Ruby finds herself forced to answer: Is it ever justifiable to kill? Is it ever justifiable to forgive a killer? These issues ring of truth, as Hertzog paints a clear picture of the perils and quandaries faced by folks in the harsh landscape of the post-Civil War West. In the end, it turns out that everyone has something to run from, but not everyone will escape their fate.
This book is an excellent choice for lovers of historical fiction, complex female characters, and anything with a witchy bent. It shies away from easy answers, instead crafting a portrait of people and places whose outward beauty belies flaws, threats, and hard secrets. The ending is so tragic that it almost feels unsatisfying at first. Hertzog has given us such relatable, compelling characters that readers are left wanting more for them. Yet there’s a deeper truth to this narrative: magic may be real, but it doesn’t always work in one’s favor.
The characters in Crossing the Ford may not get the ending they want, but they just might get the ending they deserve.
Seeking to “fill his vessel with the truth,” young Ashe Stevens joins his friends on a thrilling adventure beyond the safety of his comfortable American life to chase stardom in Beirut, Lebanon.
Leaving behind a raucous life of plenty in Hollywood – complete with hot dates, popularity, and financial success – to the unknown of the Middle East teaches Ashe to prioritize his values and beliefs. But nothing could prepare him for what’s coming next.
Journey with Ashe and his friends as they bring the rapper 50 Cent to Beirut, the “Paris of the Middle East.” Along the way, Ashe dates not one, but two drop-dead gorgeous billionaires and falls head over heels for a blonde beauty to whom he promises to devote his life. But just as business is booming and true love reaches the height of bliss, the Israeli military bombs their beautiful city, “weaving a tapestry of death all over the night sky.” The team barely makes it out with their lives in a harrowing escape, leaving their love and livelihoods behind.
Before disaster hits, Ashe reevaluates his life in Beirut, slowly beginning the necessary work of “finding his circus,” drawing on the lessons of his friend and mentor, Roger Henderson.
Loosening his confidence in the United States’ supreme power and security, prioritizing loyalty and love over wealth, and expanding the horizons of his cultural imagination allow him to find safety in himself and accept the reality of the disaster that “washes away his elaborate dreams.”
Just as Ashe develops over the course of his life-changing adventure, those around him unfold with intricate depth. Readers will find themselves sympathizing, loving, protesting, and falling apart as they unspool each person’s threads. Personalities such as the eccentric Danny, the wise Roger Henderson, and the lovable criminal Marwan shape a colorful narrative that feels as real as flesh.
The narrative does tend to prioritize the complexity of its male characters over that of the women. Women’s personalities go unexplored and tied inextricably to the narrative-shaping men who either love or resent them. Ashe complains about his new rich date waiting for him in the car, and his friends exert a patriarchal command over the women in their lives: “‘Make sure you look hot tonight, Sana,’” says Danny to his girlfriend, “‘Okay, my love. I would never disappoint you,’” she meekly replies.
Even so, the memoir’s rhythm of adventure will sustain readers’ devoted attention.
Each chapter heading offers a curious epigraph, which slowly merges together with the others as pieces of a puzzle. Silky smooth transitions lose readers in the vivid imagery and fast-paced movement of the story, such as the “blazing-white sunshine amid the clusters of cars, repetitious horn sounds and the loud chatter of the city.” Ashe navigating the rich culture of Beirut and its new social rules immerses readers in the magic of travel and its potential to deepen the soul.
Overall, Lost in Beirut is a romping adventure full of love, war, and sacrifice.
Religious division, the mysteries of love and lust, hidden secrets of political violence, loss and recovery, and life-like characters pull readers beneath the surface tension of the page. As Ashe reflects on his experience in theater class: “We all look the same, leaving the phantom zone. Lost in our own bodies.” In the same way, Lost in Beirut will lose readers in its trance-like narrative where beauty and ruin melt into each other in a seamless dream-turned-nightmare.
Crossing the Ford by Gail Hertzog opens in classic Western fashion: a train rolls in, carrying a stranger. Twenty-five-year-old Ruby knows, when she sees “that little lady” get off the train, that life in her rural Nevada town will never be the same.
Seeking to “fill his vessel with the truth,” young Ashe Stevens joins his friends on a thrilling adventure beyond the safety of his comfortable American life to chase stardom in Beirut, Lebanon.